An association between cutaneous melanoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: pooled analysis of published data with a review

Background: Several epidemiological studies have suggested an association between cutaneous melanoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Methods: We pooled the data from seven cohort studies and calculated the risk of secondary occurrence of cutaneous melanoma after non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma subsequent to the occurrence of cutaneous melanoma. Results: There were 137612 patients with primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and 109532 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma. We found a statistically significant increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among cutaneous melanoma survivors [standardised incidence ratio (SIR) 2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.79-2.24] and cutaneous melanoma among non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors (SIR 1.41, 95% Cl 1.26-1.58). Conclusion: Our study confirmed an association between cutaneous melanoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma occurring in the same patient indicative of a need to examine further the role of the common risk factors.